SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah -- A skydiver was flown to the hospital after falling 30 feet while performing a maneuver for 200 elementary school students Tuesday morning.
The group "Jump For Joy" was conducting a demonstration around 9:30 a.m. at Thunder Ridge Elementary School when the accident occurred.
One of the skydiving demonstrators, identified as a 31-year-old man, attempted to perform a stunt move by swinging his body parallel to the ground when his parachute collapsed, David Johnson, a Public Information Officer for the City of Saratoga Springs, said.
The man landed backward, broke his leg, hurt his wrist and suffered possible internal injuries from the accident.
Johnson said approximately 200 elementary school students were watching the demonstration when the accident occurred.
Abe Pead, A 5th-grade student at the school, saw the accident happen right before his eyes.
“The guys were skydiving down with their parachutes, one guy misjudged the wind and he fell and hit hard and broke his leg in two different places,” Abe said.
The skydiver was transferred to a local hospital in a Life Flight helicopter.
The name of the skydiver was not released, but students reportedly wrote him get-well letters and cards.
“Everybody had a bunch of questions," Abe said. "Is he going to go skydiving again? Will he be back up? They said he’ll be back home in a few days."
The Alpine School District says it will evaluate if these types of events will be held in the future.
“Having kids watch something that might seem scary is definitely something we don’t want to accomplish,” said Kimberly Bird, a spokesperson for the district.
Parents who spoke with FOX13 say they aren’t upset about what happened, and are pleased with how the district handled the accident.
